It is November 2nd, 2009. There are 60 days remaining until 2010. Instead of waiting until January 1st to make a resolution to “get back in shape,” I am going to begin now and arrive at 2010 already ‘in shape.’
Revised training plans call for three 20-minute session of yoga moves, coupled with the Big Four of yoga moves: Mountain Pose, Downward Dog, Upward Dog, Trinity Squat, and back to Mountain Pose. Focus on breathing throughout the series. Stretch the body to the edge of discomfort – man, I have a long way to go to regain the flexibility of my younger days! 30-plus years ago, I could bend over at the waist (a much leaner waist, thank you) and place my hands flat on the ground. Now they go somewhere between my knees and my ankles.
Three days a week will also be dedicated to 20-minute sessions of hi-rep bodyweight exercises. These will be performed on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with the yoga sessions on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Squats, Push-ups, Lunges, Body Rows, Dips, Pull-ups, Planks and Bridging are the core B/W exercises to be done in a circuit method.
Get out and walk around the neighborhood at a nice brisk pace; I won’t be running, but, hey, I won’t just be strolling or walking the dog either. I will spend about 20-25 minutes cruising the streets around my apartment four or five evenings a week.
Diet control is going to be a combination of Jay Robb’s program (two meals a day – one between 11:00am and 1:00pm and the other at least six hours later between 5:00pm and 7:00pm, with no snacking between meals and no foods after 8:00pm – water or non-caloric beverages only) and Jon Hind’s eating plan of ‘Eat Green, Get Lean’ – focusing on consuming non-starchy vegetables, fresh fruits, lots of salads, some eggs, and two or three meals a week some fish like salmon or tuna.
The goal will be to eat as clean as possible with being fanatical about it. Eliminate flour and flour products, limit corn and corn products, no sugar or sugar substitutes (use Stevia as the sole sweetener), and limit carbs like pastas, breads, cakes, candies, etc. Drink filtered water as the primary beverage, with tea, coffee and a limited amount of 2% milk. No fruit juices.
One day a week, and sometimes two days a week (but not back-to-back), I’ll practice IF (Intermittent Fasting). This means for a 24-hour period, not eating any food or consuming any beverages with calories. It is a form of calorie control that is actually much easier than trying to simply reduce the size of one’s meals. (See Eat-Stop-Eat by Brad Pillon)
This is the Plan for the next two months – 60 days of diet, IF, exercise, and training to reshape the body, making it leaner and more fit, and improving the physical conditioning – my own personal metamorphosis.
Faith, Chuck
Tags: Body Weight Exercises, diet, Nutrition, Paleo Diet, Walking, yoga
